Evangelism is what drives me. Giving as many people as possible an opportunity to understand and follow the gospel is truly what gets me out of bed in the morning. I think it's important during our "get-to-know-you" phase that I communicate to you, the church, how the gears in my head work. So, over the next few months, I'll be publishing excerpts from my manual on church growth and corporate evangelism. If you want to read the whole thing now (it'll take some time), grab a cup of coffee and go to www.billmesaeh.com; I'll post a link (Church Growth) on the homepage. Otherwise, here's this month's clip:
God has made abundantly clear the simple truth that he expects his people to reach the rest of creation and actively pursue bringing them into the fold (Eph 3.10-11). One may rightly wonder if there could exist a reason beyond evangelism for God to leave the redeemed on earth after conversion. Peter's charge that the saints live their lives so as to direct pagan thoughts toward praising God (1 Pet 2.12) summarizes well the imperative placed upon God's redeemed. Furthermore, because Christ's…offers are not attainable [without] wholesale belief in his teachings (Jn 14.6), Christian doctrine emphatically rules out [Unitarian] efforts at applying the resurrection's accomplishments to the unbelieving as well as to the faithful. People must believe and receive the gospel, and God expects the saved to carry this gospel to the lost. However, because Satan has effectively used the tools of complacency, ignorance, and a desire to comply with the contemporary idolatry of tolerance to severely limit the church's evangelistic efforts, thousands of people launch into a Christ-less eternity every day. The ecclesia is in dire need of a systematic approach to reach every person with the gospel based both on a love for mankind and a renewal of the doctrines of both divine forgiveness and judgment.
While many today feel a deep burden over injustices in the world such as hunger, war, and poverty, the vague and distant portrayal of eternity has removed from our minds any encumbrance related to the afterlife. In short, the hereafter does not reside as a pressing concern to today's elect, who are nevertheless charged with passing the torch of Christ's love to the lost of tomorrow. Church leaders must therefore be compelled to transform contemporary thought and place evangelism as the paramount priority in the hearts and minds of each individual believer. All ministries of the church should ultimately synchronize with an overriding evangelistic mission by providing support to the soul-winning effort. Fellowship and discipleship should be thought of as a means to strengthen and prepare current believers for the task of evangelism. Without neglecting the faithful, ministry and Christian service should be directed primarily at meeting the needs of the unchurched and the unsaved. Glorifying God is the life purpose off all believers, and this is most abundantly accomplished by expanding the Lord's Kingdom. For a church to maximize its world-changing potential, all efforts need to coalesce into a cycle constantly aimed at finding, saving, and keeping those currently outside of God's kingdom. The sum product of these activities is evangelism.
"If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for." --Charles Spurgeon
